Problem with VZW and wondering if anyone else has this problem

[gaylemike]

Long time Howard Forums member, don't post much but read the mail and had a problem wondering if anyone else has had. A little history...GTE Mobilnet bag phone and same number as now back in 1984 with them until VZW bought out GTE Mobilnet in 2002 and basically haven't had any trouble with them. A few hiccups several years ago and told them I was leaving and they turned me over to Loyalty Dept. and in order to keep me gave me Unlimited Everything so I kept mine and my wife's phone on their plan. I'm retired so was planning on staying anyway but due to some billing problems I was fed up with their no taking care of my problem with them. '

Now on to my present problem. Upon buying my first bag phone with GTE, they ask what due date I wanted and autopay on that date. I chose the 17th and like clockwork it's come out on the 17th while our 3 kids lived at home and now that they're gone it's still on the 17th...or so I thought. VZW sent me a notice that my Debit Card was expiring so I went online to look and see a Due date of the 14th. I called and the lady said it's always been the 14th but paid on the 17th. I told her that's not the way it was set up originally and when VZW bought it was the 17th then. I'm not sure when thy changed it to the 14th but they did it without my permission and I told them that. She said I would have had to give them permission for them to change it. She was adamant about her statement and I was just as adamant about mine. I told her the story, she looked and saw it was coming out on the 17th but it was due on the 14th. I'm not wild about a company changing the due date without permission and if they get away with it when I catch them this time, they could keep on backing it up 3-5 days at a time and multiply that out before too long they're getting an extra month's pay for a half month if you know what I mean. Basically it's the principle of the thing. Last week I talked to a supervisor that said she'd been there for 3 years and told her the whole spiel and VZW didn't have permission to which she disagreed. I told her I don't drink or do drugs so I remember what I've done especially since she saw the bill had ALWAYS been paid faithfully on the 17th. So I did what I did about 5 or 6 years ago and told her do you want to lose a 36 year customer that has been prompt and faithful because y'all made a mistake and won't own up to it cause that's what you're doing. She hasn't gotten back with me. I like VZW but am a principled service user and hate to be taken advantage of even minorly and yes this is minor. If she had just said yes we changed it, sorry, we'll fix it back the way it was, I'd not even be writing this but she didn't! What would y'all do? I've looked at Visible by VZW and thinking about changing since it's owned by VZW and uses their towers.

[zapjb]

Aren't you making a mountain out of a molehill?

[LadyLC]

Unless you are willing to make good on your threat to leave and go to T-Mobile or AT&T, what is the point of making such a fuss?

[bmtvaquero]

So, in 39 years, they beat you out of three days service. At that rate, in 390 years you will have been cheated out of 30 days worth of service. You should consider changing providers before it is too late.

Incidentally, I signed up with GTE Mobilnet when they first became available in SE Texas in about 1995-96. I see you are from Louisiana. Were you one of their first customers ever in Indianapolis when they formed the company up in 1984 with zero customers? https://www.verizon.com/about/news/v...7/pr1997-07-31

Also, GTE Mobilnet was acquired by Bell Atlantic in 2000 to form Verizon, Verizon did not buy them out in 2002. https://www.verizon.com/about/sites/...gte/index.html https://www.verizon.com/about/sites/...story_0916.pdf

Perhaps your memory of events is not totally accurate. Move on, find something important to worry about.

[plowguy]

Show us where in the service agreement that VZW requires your "permission" to alter your billing dates. Companies do this all the time. Likely all the service agreement and applicable law requires is that they give you appropriate notice (which they're usually pretty vigilant about).

You're inventing a dispute where none exists. If they are happy to let you continue paying 3 days late without a late charge then call that a win and find something else to argue about. I suspect there are some clouds that need yelling at, or there's someone who needs to be told to get off your lawn.

[Serial Port]

I am willing to bet that the OP had received a notification of the billing date change at least 1 month prior to the change. Could have been more than a year since the change, but it did happen. More than 90% or higher percent of users (IMHO) never read their full bill detail on a regular basis. Move on and pick your battles more carefully.

[DebiLee]

I vaguely remember Verizon changing my billing date at some point but couldn’t quite place what year that was, or if I was misremembering. At the end of the day it’s not really a big deal. Just ask them to change your due date. I’ve had them do it a few times over the years.

[VisionsDivine]

I hope I'm this bored when I retire.

[CellGeek]

I hope I'm this bored when I retire.

Thank you. That was the best laugh I had in a while!

[CellularCowboy]

Long time Howard Forums member, don't post much but read the mail and had a problem wondering if anyone else has had. A little history...GTE Mobilnet bag phone and same number as now back in 1984 with them until VZW bought out GTE Mobilnet in 2002 and basically haven't had any trouble with them. A few hiccups several years ago and told them I was leaving and they turned me over to Loyalty Dept. and in order to keep me gave me Unlimited Everything so I kept mine and my wife's phone on their plan. I'm retired so was planning on staying anyway but due to some billing problems I was fed up with their no taking care of my problem with them. '

Now on to my present problem. Upon buying my first bag phone with GTE, they ask what due date I wanted and autopay on that date. I chose the 17th and like clockwork it's come out on the 17th while our 3 kids lived at home and now that they're gone it's still on the 17th...or so I thought. VZW sent me a notice that my Debit Card was expiring so I went online to look and see a Due date of the 14th. I called and the lady said it's always been the 14th but paid on the 17th. I told her that's not the way it was set up originally and when VZW bought it was the 17th then. I'm not sure when they changed it to the 14th but they did it without my permission and I told them that. She said I would have had to give them permission for them to change it. She was adamant about her statement and I was just as adamant about mine. I told her the story, she looked and saw it was coming out on the 17th but it was due on the 14th. I'm not wild about a company changing the due date without permission and if they get away with it when I catch them this time, they could keep on backing it up 3-5 days at a time and multiply that out before too long they're getting an extra month's pay for a half month if you know what I mean. Basically, it's the principle of the thing. Last week I talked to a supervisor that said she'd been there for 3 years and told her the whole spiel and VZW didn't have permission to which she disagreed. I told her I don't drink or do drugs so I remember what I've done especially since she saw the bill had ALWAYS been paid faithfully on the 17th. So, I did what I did about 5 or 6 years ago and told her do you want to lose a 36 year customer that has been prompt and faithful because y'all made a mistake and won't own up to it cause that's what you're doing. She hasn't gotten back with me. I like VZW but am a principled service user and hate to be taken advantage of even minorly and yes this is minor. If she had just said yes we changed it, sorry, we'll fix it back the way it was, I'd not even be writing this but she didn't! What would y'all do? I've looked at Visible by VZW and thinking about changing since it's owned by VZW and uses their towers.

If I had gotten one of your escalated calls at Verizon, I would have told you to change your bill cycle to the 27th if you wanted your payments to be due on the 17th which is what she prob did to fix it. I would have also told you to read your customer service agreement. Verizon and any other company has the rights to change the due date and any other stipulations with your services including rates and service fees. BTW, being with a company for 36 years means nothing and I really mean absolutely nothing....not even a drop of spit. I would tell a customer that we want to keep your business and I always wanted to but I recognize that you simply can't keep everyone and even in my position, I could not change any corporate directive. There is no magic button or key I could insert to do what you are asking that rep to do. Sorry

Never be loyal to any company. Be loyal to your family and maybe your friends. When I left Verizon last year, the first thing I did was cut off my LTE router that I used for work, paid off the balance on my phone and switched my service over to Mint Mobile simply because I would no longer get employee discounts. Did I get a goodbye card from Verizon??? Did I get a severance package from Verizon, did I get unemployment benefits from Verizon....NOPE, NOPE, & NOPE. That's life and you have to move on. If you don't like your service from anything. Phone, auto service, bank, etc...leave...don't even ask because they are not going to care. I do it all the time...don't like the food at a restaurant that I've eaten at for years....bye bye. Remember you're not a tree so leave when it's appropriate

[Serial Port]

CellularCowboy speaks the truth and explained it as clearly as needed. I agree 100% and as a former CS rep for At&t. I ran into customers like the OP from time to time and had to carefully explain it to them as well. I have done business with some companies for more than 30 years and never received any "loyalty discounts". One of the nice things about modern cell phone companies is that most folks can switch providers if they are not happy. They would only have to pay the remaining balance on a financed phone instead of paying an early termination fee as with the days of the cellular contracts.

Verizon owes nothing additional to the OP, except the services that he pays for. The lesson learned is to read your billing statements each and every month and not complain that you were never told.

[PaulCrawhorne]

They do NOT need you permission to change a billing date, period.

Shop for another provider that you prefer if that is an important issue for you

[Wide_opeN]

So, in 39 years, they beat you out of three days service. At that rate, in 390 years you will have been cheated out of 30 days worth of service. You should consider changing providers before it is too late.

Incidentally, I signed up with GTE Mobilnet when they first became available in SE Texas in about 1995-96. I see you are from Louisiana. Were you one of their first customers ever in Indianapolis when they formed the company up in 1984 with zero customers? https://www.verizon.com/about/news/v...7/pr1997-07-31

Also, GTE Mobilnet was acquired by Bell Atlantic in 2000 to form Verizon, Verizon did not buy them out in 2002. https://www.verizon.com/about/sites/...gte/index.html https://www.verizon.com/about/sites/...story_0916.pdf

Perhaps your memory of events is not totally accurate. Move on, find something important to worry about.

Thanks for sharing these links


Sent from my iPhone using HoFo

[gaylemike]

I see you say you bought GTE Mobilnet when it became available in 95 or 96. That's not when GTE became available. I lived in Orange since 1960 and if you're familiar with Orange business hwy 90 west right before it joins IH 10 there was a closed service station that did audio service and it sold GTE Mobilnet bag phones($300 for the phone and antenna and $99/month plus $1.99 per minute) and I bought mine in 1984, five years after my late wife was diagnosed in Houston Methodist hospital in 1979 and given 6 months to live. She lived until 3-98 and we had the bag phone/window mount antenna for nearly 9 of those years before we bought some smaller phones. I read all the posted URLs but nevertheless rogue sellers were in Orange. Going back and forth from Orange to Houston 2-3 times a month was reason enough to get something besides CB radio incase of breakdowns.

One other thing, 5-6 years ago when I was going to leave VZW, it must be important for VZW to keep long standing customers because after them making billing mistakes for 3 months in a row, I had already started moving to another provider when VZW called me wanting to make amends to keep me as a customer and wanted to stop the port. It was at that point I realized they valued their long term customers. Maybe the other posters are right and now they don't but when they tell me something that they are going to do, I expect them to do it or they risk loosing a customer. Legally speaking the agreement between VZW and me is a contract, if they expect to change the due date, because it is a contract I have to agree to it, and when the loyalty dept contacted me 5-6 years ago I told them that. They relented and agreed. I don't want to change from VZW but am not going to put up with a company that has billing mistakes they can't fix for 3 months without me contacting them monthly and promising they'd get it fixed and then don't after staying on the phone with them each time for 30-45 minutes each time, I've better things to do. As we speak I'm looking to change carriers because I watching this months bill and if it's not fixed, I'm not staying with them. Sad they've gotten so big that they think they can do what they want and customers have to relent! Nope, not gonna!!!

[bmtvaquero]

I lived in Orange since 1960 and if you're familiar with Orange business hwy 90 west right before it joins IH 10 there was a closed service station that did audio service and it sold GTE Mobilnet bag phones($300 for the phone and antenna and $99/month plus $1.99 per minute) and I bought mine in 1984, five years after my late wife was diagnosed in Houston Methodist hospital in 1979 and given 6 months to live. She lived until 3-98 and we had the bag phone/window mount antenna for nearly 9 of those years before we bought some smaller phones. I read all the posted URLs but nevertheless rogue sellers were in Orange.

Thanks for sharing. That's interesting information. I grew up in Orange County and was familiar with the vendor you're referring to. I guess in the 80's I referred to those as radio phones, the cellular connotation not coming to me until later. I stand corrected.